Capri, NT and Ameh got busy transporting everyone to Cherie's frozen empire.
Once that was done, Capri checked out all the dungeon equipment. She could be heard muttering and spitting some pretty unkind words toward Cherie as each device was examined and then reconfigured to become harmless.
"Okay," Capri announced, coming back and heading for a spot somewhere behind Cherie, where she wouldn't be seen by her right away. "We're gonna catch her in the act, but don't be alarmed; all of these sick devices have just been rendered harmless. That sick twist really was aiming for Drusilla Benson the second." Several who knew about Drusilla Benson, caught the reference and gaped or shuddered, appalled.
Capri unfroze the empire, and Cherie now gave the order she had been about to give at the moment the freeze had kicked in.
"Start with the former governor general. Give him that!" Cherie pointed to a machine.
The governor general began to scream as a couple of guards dragged him over and inserted his hand into a device.
However, instead of doing what it was supposed to do, the device simply lit up and made a loud sound of applause.
The guards were astonished, and they backed away.
The Governor General was able to free himself from them. He ran from that area, clutching his somehow narrowly saved hand in the other.
Cherie became irate. "Who's idea of a joke is this!?" She shouted. "The wrack for you two!" she screamed at the guards.
No one even had to go over to the wrack, it apparently heard the sound of its own name, and responded to Cherie with a loud, rude noise, then started lumbering around the dungeon, making more hilarious noises.
"Stop that you stupid contraption!" Cherie bellowed, turning red.
It stopped, but the effect was apparent. There were laughs all around.
From somewhere not far off but still undetected by Cherie, outrage was beginning to break forth.
That evil piece of - "
"Shhhh!" Ameh shushed the glowering NT standing next to her. "We can't move in yet."
"I'll deal with you later!" Cherie glowered at the Governor General. NEXT: Her!" She pointed at a woman this time, and demanded her to face another sort of torture.
This too, went awry as the machine started producing mounds of various packaged snacks instead of screams.
The wrack let out a gale of loud, maniacal laughter.
Everyone else joined in.
Not even NT could quite keep from laughing at this point.
"I'll deal with you myself!" Cherie said viciously, and stalked into the area of the dungeon to pick out something to use. She got a nasty surprise when she went to pick up some device, and it yelled "No!" at her. In addition, Cherie was thrown forcefully backword by an unseen force.
"Way to go, Your Majesty!" some of the people were heard laughing. Apparently they thought this was all an act put on by Cherie to make fun of other cruel rulers.
Cherie picked herself up and rampaged back to her place, where she blew a shrill whistle to silence everyone.
Ameh and NT covered their ears and expressed discomfort.
"Dang, I should've nixed that as well." said Capri.
"You people think this is a joke? You think I wanted everything to malfunction? I am dead serious!" Cherie began. "You all belong to me, and I will do with you as I see fit! Don't forget how horribly I was abused before I got this position! You all owe me your lives!"
Oh, you are gonna get it in the neck - "
"Shhh, hold on just a little longer." Ameh whispered to NT, who was fuming beside her.
Bez chuckled "What's she going to do next, eat us?"
Matrix understood the joke and giggled.
Sigma frowned.
"That's it, let's get her." said Capri, "NT, you head our advance."
NT nodded and ran up to Cherie, looking as if she was about to strangle her right then and there. "If anyone owes anything around here, it's you who owes me!" she snapped viciously.
Cherie whipped her head around, startled. "NT!" What the - I thought you said you were nev - "
"And you owe everyone else too!"
"NT, it's not what you think." Cherie turned on the demure little sweet sad face again.
"Bull!
Are you calling me a liar?" Cherie began indignantly.
NT countered with, "Are you calling me stupid? Whenever I return to this world, it's time for the current ruler to give up her position - "
"That was before me. Now that rule no longer exists!" Cherie snapped forcefully, starting to panic.
"Why? Because you say so?" Nt challenged her. "Now that you're an empress you can suddenly change the rules just like that? Think again!"
"Everybody, sit quietly, NT and I are going to discuss something in private, then I'll be back." Cherie said. She stood up and was about to lead NT away.
"You're done trying to sweet-talk me, Cherie, it's the end of the line for you!" NT made a gesture that signalled her friends, and soon, Cherie found herself surrounded.
"Yeah, we're here too, Cherie." Capri snarled at her.
Cherie attempted to recoil as if deathly afraid of Capri.
"Cut the chicken liver act, Cherie," said Capri scornfully, "You're not really as scared of me as all that and you never were."
"I don't know how she can say that!" Cherie tried to appeal to NT.
"She's right, you're a phoney." NT flung back bitterly.
"What!? Cherie frowned, attempting to look innocent.
You heard me!" replied NT.
"But-"
"But nothing, Empress." Bez cut her off sharply. "Prepare to get royally busted. We've got a mountain of evidence against you-witnesses, tapes-the works. And, we have a telepath." She motioned to a tall man with a tired, gaunt face and piercing blue eyes. "Before you get any ideas, let me explain. "This is Sin. His people invented a device that allowed for total empathy between two people." She displayed a small star shaped device. "It's usually used for healing. Sort of like sharing the damage. Except, you have to swap memories for it to work. The worse the damage is, the more personal the memory. I've talked it over with Sin, and I think we can selectively swap memories and emotions."
Holy shart!" Indy exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Cherie was beginning to panic. "You can't do anything to me, I'm the-"
"Blah, blah, blah. You want me to apologize? Throw another coin in the wishing well, pal. Not happening. Like I was saying, we're going to do some swapping. You and your victims. And in case you still don't get the picture, that means you're going to feel as crappy as they did and they're going to get some well deserved payback."
"Sounds fair." Capri grinned.
"NT, tell them!" Cherie pleaded.
"Tell them what? That you've done nothing but try to ruin everybody you touch from the get-go?"
"You of all people!"
"Oh, shut it, Cherie, we're all onto you!" Pippi snapped at her.
Yeah, how's the investigation of your 'sister's murder' going?" Indy sniped.
"Or was that your guardian's?" NT put in.
I don't know what the heck you're talking about!" Cherie retorted.
No wonder, you've told so many lies it's gotta be impossible to keep them all straight!" NT shouted, glaring at Cherie.
Bez studied the victims they'd been able to assemble. "Who wants to go first?"
A timid looking young woman stepped forward.
"You!" Cherie shouted. "Traitor!"
"You're one to talk, Cherie!" NT yelled back.
Bez smiled. "Great! Sin, let's get this started."
Cherie squealed in terror. "You can't do that! I was horribly abused-you're just like them, you-"
She was knocked to the ground violently by a swift blow from Thande. He looked down at her like she was a disgusting insect.
Bez smiled approvingly at Thande and grabbed Cherie by the scruff of her neck. She yanked her up into a standing position. "Link-up time."
Sin fitted an empathy device to Cherie's temple and another to her victim's. He touched the devices, acting as a memory transfer medium.
"Oh, sort of like what was done with Kari-Lynn and Renee!" said Indy, "Cool!"
Pippi nodded.
Cherie struggled for a few moments before stopping abruptly. Her expression became genuinly sad, while her victim's was becoming more and more triumphant.
"Stinks to be on the other end, doesn't it?" Sigma yelled.
Sin recoiled suddenly, drawing his hands back.
Bez frowned. "What's wrong?"
Sin frowned. "She bit me."
"Whoa." said Ameh.
"I assume you mean that telepathically."
"Yes."
"Huh?" NT looked puzzled.
Capri shrugged, frowning.
"What does it mean?" Bez asked.
Sin didn't get a chance to answer. Cherie turned to face him, her best "I understand your pain" face on.
"It must have been terrible, watching your home get destroyed. Everyone you knew, gone and dead. And all because of you."
"What?" Indy's mouth fell open.
Bez started. "Shut up, Cherie! You really think you can get away with that anymore?" She spat. She darted an empathetic look at Sin. "It's over!"
Cherie turned to Bez. "But I know about you, too, because he saved your life with one of these devices and has all your memories."
Bez scowled. "Shut up now if-"
"I know how much it hurts to watch your friends get killed-" Cherie began to sob. She was in a true panic now, and attempting to stay in favor with her subjects. "because, my-"
"What's going on!?" Indy looked confused and a bit scared.
"Shut up, Cherie! Shut up!" Bez howled.
"I don't understand it either, Indy," Misery replied.
Pippi shrugged, and Capri scowled at Cherie.
"I know what it's like!" She opened her arms, as if she expected to be hugged. "I understand everything! I'm like you!"
"Liar!" NT shouted.
Bez lunged forward. She was restrained by Matrix. "You will never be like me!" Bez spat. "You're a coward and a parasite and deserve whatever happens to you! Sin! The next victim."
Sin nodded and gently sent the previous Cherie-victim back. A new one stepped forward.
"Matrix, let me go! I'm fine!"
Matrix did so reluctantly. "We need to keep her alive for this." He whispered to Bez before stepping back by Sigma.
Bez watched the proceedings, attempting to subdue her rage. At length, she spoke. "While you're starting to feel good and cruddy, I think we'll present the evidence to your "empire"." She looked at Sin. "Next time she bites, bite back."
He nodded, a rare smile flashing over his face.
Bez shook her head. "Stupid witch."
Matrix stepped forward.
"And there is a lot of it. Bring on the evidence! That includes any victims who aren't swapping currently." He smiled. "This'll be better than a night at the movies." Sigma giggled and smiled.
"As if anyone will believe you." Cherie said bitterly. "I'll just do a little magic - AIIIIIEEE!"
"You will not." Capri said, zapping Cherie with a severe magic blast of her own.
When Cherie recovered, she remained as unrepentant as ever, still determined to play dirty. She leered at Capri and said, "And as far as my subjects are concerned, I'm the saddest girl in the world, and him?" she pointed to the man who had just done the memory swap and was now ready to go back to the crowd. "He abused me and is just a child molester."
"I didn't touch her!" the man nearly wailed.
"There's no evidence you did." Pippi tried to assure him.
"All I did was give her a hug when I saw her crying and that was because some girls had done mean things to her - that's all!"
Cherie continued. "And so are you all. My subjects will - "
NT saw cherie's smugness at the young man's anguish. It made her pity him, naturally, but it was also compounded by reminding NT of her own nightmarish ordeal at the police station when Miranda had nearly gotten her jailed for crimes she didn't commit. That was bad enough, but to accuse someone falsely of any kind of sex abuse and/or sadism was as bad as committing it. NT flew into a rage. "You sick lying witch!" She screamed, lunging for Cherie.
"OUCH! - They'll - want - AAAA! NT what're you doing!?"
"Your subjects will want your head, and they'll get it, too!" NT shouted as she continued advancing on Cherie, who kept backing away.
"NT stop that!" Cherie squealed.
"You - you - !" Nt really couldn't think of much more to say, she was too enraged to come up with a coherent sentence. She kept hitting and punching at Cherie, who continued trying to play innocent with her.
"You're hurting me! Stop!" Cherie wailed.
"That's nothing, you sick! Disgusting!Backstabbing!Phoney!Puerile! Inhuman! Shallow! Selfish! Scuzz-bag!" Cherie took fast-coming punches, scratches, kicks and hits with every word NT screamed out.
Bez smiled, restraining her laughter. "Puerile-I'm going to have to remember that one. Give it to her, NT! Ha-ah!" Bez mimed a few punches of her own before shaking her head, still smiling.
Sigma frowned at her and looked at Cherie and NT, concerned.
Finally, Capri stepped forward and took hold of NT. "C'mon now, break it up," she hefted the lighter girl back toward the others.
Even as she was being dragged away, NT wasn't through with Cherie. "You deceitful, head-gaming, cruel, wicked old bat!" NT's uncharacteristically harsh tormented shout died away into a muffled sob, and she continued glaring, throwing harmless punches and kicks in Cherie's direction. It took considerable effort on Capri's part to calm her down.
"I'm cruel?" Cherie protested, standing there, looking stunned.
Suddenly, Misery stepped furiously forward and advanced on Cherie. "You really don't think you're cruel!?" she shouted, "Look at this lot, look at what you would've done if Capri here, hadn't stopped you! You were going to - " and here, Misery pointed out every piece of dungeon equipment as she said this, "chop 'em, wrack 'em, crush 'em, shock 'em, burn 'em! I think that more than quallifies as cruelty!"
"But...But..." Cherie stammered.
"But but but but, is that all you can say for yourself?" Heidi demanded pointedly.
"You know, everyone's gonna know you people, yes, that includes you, NT, abused me!" Cherie whined. "Because you wanted my empire for yourself!"
"Hah!" NT scoffed. "I don't want to rule this ruddy empire, but someone other than you, should! I try to stop abuse, Cherie, YOU, keep trying to start it!"
"You attacked me!"
"You deserve it, stupid!"
"See!?"
"You'll see in a moment, Cherie," Pippi said, and she quickly approached Cherie, and brought her back to face the others, her victims, and the evidence that was now about to be presented to the whole empire, exposing her.
"No, no, no! Please! Please, please let me go!" Cherie began to sob.
"SHUT - UP!" Pippi hissed sharply at her, glowering down at her and giving her a prolonged, vigorous shake.
Bez sneered. "I really shouldn't enjoy this so much." She shook her head. "Oh, but I do."
Thande put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder.
Bez looked up at him and sobered immediately. She squeezed his hand once and turned back to the proceedings.
Matrix looked thankfully at Thande, who nodded respectfully back.
"You're not the only one." Ameh sneered back. "She really is pathetic!"
"Let's crank the volume up on this mic if we can," Heidi said as she and Madonna Gale got set up next to where Cherie had been bossing everyone about. there were some small adjustments and tests, and finally, Madonna Gale began."
"Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient as we have a lot of information and evidence to prove that Cherie Evans should never have power over anyone, especially a whole empire. She can charm and disarm people with her waif in the woods persona. She even had us all fooled."
Don't listen to that woman!" Cherie wailed. "She hates me and is making this all up!"
Madonna frowned at the interruption but continued. "Don't be fooled. Cherie Evans is an expert at learning what your weaknesses and fears are, and what is likely to make you most unhappy, and get you doing anything she wants you to do, and she uses these for her own gain, at your expense. She does not look dangerous, but she is."
"They're lying!" Cherie sobbed.
There is a reason none of you were hurt by the torture devices today. Cherie was not putting on an act of being angry with all these malfunctions." With that, Madonna moved aside for Capri to take over the explanation.
"Look around at all this stuff." Capri took over the microphone from Madonna. "The reason none of the prisoners were hurt is because I fixed up these machines so they wouldn't do what Cherie had intended! She really was going to maim and kill some of you with these contraptions, and reinstate slavery. She poses as a helpless abuse victim either alone or acting in concert with others who have ill intent!"
Instead of being taken aback, Cherie became very indignant and continued stepping up the persecuted act. Rushing at Capri for the mic, Cherie whined. "You never liked me, Capri, I just knew it from the moment you laid eyes on me! I even feared you up 'til now,"
"No, you didn't." Capri scoffed.
Cherie continued her tirade. "but it's clear you are drunk on power and you've completely lost your mind!"
Capri guffawed loudly, but wasn't given a chance to make a retort.
Cherie continued ranting. "Of all the things you might've thought about me, this takes the cake! When did I ally myself with another evil-doer, Capri? WHEN!?"
Cherie thought she would have everyone, perhaps even Capri finally confounded, subdued and submissive to her now, and was sure the long pause from Capri was a sign that she was stumped, taken aback, humiliated, beaten at last.
In her haste to savour her ill-gotten victory, Cherie glanced Capri full in the face.
But the expression on the fairy's face was not one of stupefied defeat, but a mixture of scorn and possibly triumph.
When Capri finally regained her composure and stopped laughing, she answered Cherie. "When you - sought - out - *THIS* *MAGE!* None other than Drusilla Benson!" She took out a PDA, tapped some buttons, and on screen appeared a picture of Drusilla Benson, the thoroughly evil mage who had together with her equally sick comrade, been trounced.
Thanks to Matrix, the image was projected so that everyone could see it clearly.
There were outcries and shudders from the subjects, some of them apparently recalled their own horrible experiences with Drusilla Benson in the past.
For a moment, Cherie looked shocked. Her mind raced. "How in the heck did Capri...?How do I get out of this, think, cherie, think fast! Okay, here's what I'll do, keep shouting my innocence." Aloud, she said, "You are either blind, insane or stupider than i - "
Watch it, Cherie." Capri warned sternly.
"They obviously bewitched you to make you believe such an outrageous, horrible, insulting lie!" Cherie retorted.
Try the other way around." Capri put in.
Cherie wasn't finished ranting yet, and now she thought of something she was sure would keep her subjects from listening to anything further from Capri and her friends. "You must also believe the holocaust is a hoax as well to actually think I - "
Out of patience, temper finally lost, Capri turned a baleful glare full on Cherie, her coarse, sharp voice easily over-powering Cherie's girlish whiny one. "That's enough!" Capri slapped Cherie across the face. "try pulling that again and you'll regret it!"
several people who were closest, startled, and for a few moments, even Cherie fell silent.
Capri went back to addressing all others present. "Now, she could turn around and say I just abused or attacked her, but in all honesty, she had that coming, and it was long overdue. The fact Cherie could even dare to align herself and her many abuse lies with the all-too-real events of the holocaust is unconscionable beyond the pale! She'll play anyone off against anyone, no matter whom, or how much it hurts to get her way. She is a classic example of a bully playing the victim act."
But Cherie recovered soon enough, and fell back on what she did best. You of all people, Capri - you know Ms. Benson and Mr. tompkins were the bullies. They kidnapped ME, remember!?" She put on her best performance of the persecuted one claiming total innocence. "NT, Ameh and Capri, you were all there! You saw that for yourselves!".
"Yes, I agree with you, Cherie, they were bullies, and kidnappers. But as far as your association with it goes, we only saw what you wanted us to see. There was a hostage situation, but you were not really one of the hostages. You sought out Tompkins and Benson, knowing full well what you were getting into!"
"Lies!" Cherie wailed indignantly. "And even if that was true, you wouldn't have any evidence! All you have is stuff from the Tompkins and Benson Reckoning, and that was -
"That was looking at just their records as far back as THEY would go. That wasn't taking into account YOUR OWN messy history and records of it!" Capri stated. Your continued harassment and tormenting of NT caused me to look into *your* background, going a long way back, before you ever met Tompkins and Benson."
The people made groans of disapproval and sounds of interest.
Capri went back to addressing everyone else again. "From those evil mages to me and to all present company, we were all conned, every last one of us, supremely conned by this girl. A few of us were lucky enough not to be taken in, but that was only because we had already started putting it all together when Cherie told one of our company one sad tale, and another, another.""
In a general state of appalled shock, none of Cherie's subjects were rallying to her side as yet, and it was starting to make her go bonkers.
Oh come on, Capri, I never conned you!" Cherie protested.
Your lack of fear for me now, proves that you did before, when you pretended to be so intimidated."
"I was!" Cherie said.
Oh, you put on a wonderful act, Cherie. It was truly awesome!" Capri said, sounding as if she was actually praising Cherie's ability for the dramatic. "You had me convinced you really were scared of me, and I took such care to tip-toe around you as much as possible, because I thought those evil mages had made you scared of anyone who might seem a bit firm around you. You knew I was conscious of this and you played it to the hilt. For a while, you had me fooled as much as everyone else. that must've felt like such a power-rush, Cherie! I could hardly blame you for gloating inwardly, you had everyone in the palm of your hand!"
Don't listen to her!" Cherie shouted at everyone. "And stop patronizing me, Capri!"
Her demand was ignored and Capri continued. "With me somewhat out of the way, you really zeroed in on NT. You knew which of her buttons to push. She was a synch for you to emotionally steamroll over. The difference was that when you conned me, it was out of mere practicality. When you conned NT and put her into despair every time, you got some sort of sick enjoyment out of it. You also knew that, however you upset NT or anyone else around you, I would feel reluctant to lay down the law with you because I was sorry for you. But that only went so far, Cherie.
"People," Cherie grabbed the mic and hollered into it. "Don't listen to her!"
With NT too distraught and me unwilling to take a firm stand with you, Cherie, you would've crippled the opposition to T and B's and your own agenda much easier. But it didn't work out quite the way you had hoped."
"My loyal subjects!" Cherie demanded, "Remember your Pledge of Undying Loyalty to me! Stop these intruders and liars!"
No one did.
Bez nodded emphatically. "Dang right, people. That pledge was bad comedy."
"Oh, just wait'll they get the truth about that thing." Indy smirked.
"You stupid stupid stupid people, I'm your empress, you are my subjects, now get these silly riff-raff out of here!"
"An eloquent little speech," Pippi said sarcastically. "Mind your own business for once!" Cherie railed.
Yes, Cherie, your true colors are glaring through. Capri had you pegged right from the first suspicion." Pippi replied.
"Don't forget about me, Cherie!" NT piped up. "You didn't claw your way to the top of this empire without my unwilling help and now you are going down - "
"Shut up, NT, I command you to not say another word or I'll - "
"Or you'll what, Cherie!"
Capri excused herself from the mic for a moment. "Enough!" She cut in, settling things down before Cherie and NT embarked on another knock-down drag-out fight. Turning back to the mic, she continued. "Cherie and Drusilla were a perfect match because they shared the same interests in dark magic and even darker ideas. Drusilla and Horace were old enough to be Cherie's grand-parents, and had a long history of corruption, bad magic and all sorts of horrible crimes, but Cherie Evans conned them too. Benson and Tompkins worked with Cherie, and corresponded with her on the internet, yes, I have the log files to prove it. But when Tompkins and Benson were up against us, Cherie played her cards very carefully so she could manage to stay in their good books as well as in ours? Why? So she could triumph over which contingent fell, and make a bid to topple the one that remained standing."
Bez's eyes widened, a slow smile creeping over her face.
Sigma shook her head. "What's your problem?" She whispered. "Why aren't you taking this seriously."
"Ask Matrix to explain all of it later. I'm having an epiphany."
"They kidnapped me and made me serve them! You know that, especially NT knows that! She was the one who had the most to do with me then!"
"You weren't kidnapped, Cherie, or at least, not as an innocent victim." said Capri, "It was all cleverly arranged, you knew exactly what you were doing and how to play the part of the unwilling yet willing assistant of theirs."
"This is outrageous, how can you even say something like that!?" Cherie raged at Capri.
"Tompkins needed you to help with the magic in that scheme since he had none himself. You played him like a violin and gave him a vulnerable young mage to 'educate' and abuse - yourself… You were mad at your guardian, Bonnie Greenslade. So you went missing on purpose, and until Pippi looked up everything within the past few weeks, everyone including Bonnie had thought you really were kidnapped by tompkins and Benson. You were in on their sick games from the moment you hooked up with Drusilla Benson, and even she had no idea how boundless your ambition was. That was how you stumbled on this world, and your ambition did the rest."
NT hissed and glared at Cherie.
"They abused me!"
"Yes, they did," said Capri, "But not even they were aware you were a willing participant." Capri turned from Cherie to address the people again. "Once those two mages were gone, Cherie went looking elsewhere to create abuse scenarios." She turned an impassive gaze on Cherie once again. "You even tried getting NT to take away your magic when we were taking those others down. You must've known she would never do that to an innocent person, and at that time, she thought you were innocent if seriously messed up."
"That was one of the ickiest bone-chilling experiences I ever had." NT said. "But I don't believe you're innocent any more."
Capri looked out to the crowd again. "That wasn't the first time Cherie asked someone to do something to her, some of these videos were already recording during the set-up processes, where Cherie was actually telling people what she wanted them doing to her. Like this one, Ameh, roll 'em."
Ameh started the film.
It was of three girls, one was Cherie, and the other two were slightly older.
"Okay," Cherie was saying. "Just trip me up when I get to the center of the room, throw me down and start wailing on me."
"I'm not so sure about this," said one of the girls.
"Look, that witch Bonnie has to see me actually getting abused, then she'll be nicer to me and she'll be sorry she didn't let me get that high def TV. Now let's go for it."
"Oh the things one will do for a high def TV, ay Matrix?" Bez said casually. There was a distinct, cutting undertone in her voice. Despite this, she continued to smile, as though she knew a joke that she was dying to tell.
The footage continued until Cherie was jumped, at which point, Ameh turned it off.
"You witch! Where did you get that!" Cherie screamed at Ameh.
"She got it from me." said Capri.
"Where did YOU get it!"
"From you." Capri replied, grinning.
"I never gave you anything, you must've stolen it from one of those stupid girls!"
"Why would I do that? I don't even know who they are. Anyway, I got it from your drawer, from your bedroom on the day you crowned yourself empress."
"No you couldn't have! You weren't here before now!"
"Yes, I was. You so kindly pulled me in here, believing I was NT."
"WHAT!?!?" Cherie shrieked, eyes going absolutely buggy. "That was you!?"
Pippi stifled laughter.
Sigma grinned broadly, attempting to restrain her laughter. "Remind you of anyone, Bez?"
Bez smiled back. "As a matter of fact, yes. Quite pointedly."
Capri nodded. "At a park picnic table, you told me all about your mom getting killed, which is bull, by the empress who was ruling at the time, another load of bull, and that slavery had been reinstated and I could help you stop it. Another load of rubbish. That slavemart play that was put on when you tugged me into this place was all play-acting, because you wanted to crush NT, and by simply having her show up, you could dethrown Skye."
"You!" Cherie howled at Capri. "You deceitful, underhanded, devious, poisonous - "
Capri snorted with laughter.
"That's not all, there's a lot more! We will tackle the so-called "loyalty pledge" last, because Cherie holds it as the most binding contract between you people, her subjects, and herself! Are you all starting to wonder what you got yourselves into with this girl?"
There was an uproar as the subjects all started expressing their disgust with Cherie.
More people came forward to put their memories through the empathizers. Finally NT decided she wanted to as well.
At this, Cherie paled. She knew about NT's past, but she sure didn't want to feel it first hand.
NT took a deep breath, and it began.
Cherie was put through the anguish of being persecuted for nearly a year by NT's half-sister and by Tonya, especially difficult was when NT was nearly arrested on false charges because of a double of her likeness Tonya had made to misbehave in public.
While Cherie was feeling the degradation and humiliation, NT was continuing to stare at her with pure rage.
When it was over, Cherie looked pale.
"And you wonder why I'm angry at you! I don't consider you a friend because you're always sorry for Miranda -
"She really is sorry, NT!"
"Like hex she is, you can't really be this stupid!"
"I'm not stupid!"
"You can sure play it well!"
"Hey, that wasn't nice!"
"Too bad! Anyway, you would rather hang around with those rejects than with me, unless you can say or do something to wreck my day! But you're a lot worse than that, it all makes sense now, you are exactly like Tonya and Miranda and Drusilla!
"No, I'm nothing like them! They ended up in jail or enchanted!
"So that makes them unlike you?"
"Yes, it does! They were all too stupid to not get caught eventually!
"Oh, hahahahahaha! You are unbelievable!" NT chortled.
"You're laughing at me!?" Cherie stood, seething. The last thing she wanted or expected was to make NT laugh, especially at her.
NT laughed hard for some time, then subsided. There was a sly grin on her face as she stared at Cherie. "Now," she began omenously, "I'm going to honor your request, Cherie!"
"What request?"
"I am going to take your magic away!"
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